Community members will be able to be directly involved in the fabrication of  a sculpture over Cherry Festival weekend.  Local artist Macrae Wylde and The People’s Forge Project will lead 250 community members working with blacksmiths to forge iron components of the project during the festival.  The pieces will be used in the final sculpture to be placed in a new pocket park on the corner of 2nd and Washington Streets.  This past fall artists in the Columbia Gorge from Cascade Locks to Biggs Junction were invited to participate in a Call for Artists to design the sculpture.  The Peoples Forge was founded in 2019 by Kellen Bateham, a highly skilled Oregon blacksmith.

A community survey is about to begin, and an open house is planned, surrounding providing input for the Heights Streetscape on 12th and 13th Streets in Hood River.  Part of the Heights Urban Renewal District, it’s a five block stretch of the two streets between May and Belmont.  Hood River City Planning Director Dustin Nilsen says this project is a hallmark project that will define the future of the Urban Renewal district.  A number of concepts have been posted on the City’s website, with an emphasis on addressing traffic, transit, bicycle and pedestrian safety, walkability, and the area’s local businesses.  The survey at cityofhoodriver.gov will be available soon, while an open house is scheduled on April 22 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. and April 23 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Hood River Armory.

The Hood River County Health Department is planning to hold COVID-19 vaccination events in May.  County COVID-19 Response Coordinator Daron Ryan says the aim is provide opportunities for people to get vaccinations outside of normal business hours.  Ryan notes workers will be coming into the region in the next few months, and will need opportunities to be vaccinated outside of weekdays.  She adds the health department is also planning to do pop-up events to provide shots.

Oregon’s unemployment rate dropped to 3.8% in March, down from 4.0% in February, continuing its rapid decline of recent months.  The March unemployment rate is well below the 6.1% it reached a year ago and is the lowest since prior to the pandemic-induced recession two years ago, in March 2020, when it was 3.5%.  Oregon Employment Department Economist Gail Krumenauer says In March, Oregon’s seasonally adjusted nonfarm payroll employment rose by 5,600 jobs, following a revised gain of 9,700 jobs in February.  The U.S. unemployment rate was 3.6% in March and 3.8% in February.

The Dalles City Council approved providing $500,000 of American Rescue Plan Act funds to the Mid-Columbia Community Action Council for its proposed Navigation Center for homeless services and $400,000 to the Northern Wasco County Parks and Recreation District for phase one of its Sorosis Park rehabilitation project.  The Community Action grant was made contingent upon site plan approval.  Councilor Dan Richardson made that suggestion, noting while he supports the project as conceived there are still steps to move through.  In other business, the Council approved the contract with new City Manager Matthew Klebes, who starts on the job in May.

The Hood River City Council approved the municipal work plan for 2022. The plan includes six critical projects: continuing development of 780 Rand Road for affordable housing, formation of a Westside Urban Renewal District, implementing an affordable housing production strategy, participating in Safe Routes to Schools, communications projects, moving on Heights Streetscape planning, and cleaning up the zoning code. Another set of projects is listed as significant, and a third set was already underway or carried over from a previous year.

During the recent trip to Washington, D.C. of the The Dalles Community Action Team, funding to allow the Port of The Dalles to purchase land for development was one of the topics discussed with federal officials.  Port Executive Director Andrea Klaas says this stems from the inability of the City of The Dalles to expand its urban growth boundary due to the National Scenic Area.  Klaas there are federal programs identifying industrial land as eligible funding, mostly through Housing and Urban Development.  She added the Port would probably use some of its own funds and federal dollars to leverage state funding opportunities.  

The start of Hood River County’s parking permit program for its County Forest trailheads has been pushed back.  It was originally set to begin on April 1, but it has not begun yet.  County Administrator Jeff Hecksel says a combination of some supplies for the program not coming in, an inability to put signs up in higher elevations due to lingering snow, and staffing issues.  Hecksel noted in planning the program, they did not plan for a large amount of revenue for the first year of the program, adding it’s more important to make sure it is done correctly.  He added once they determine the program can start, it will be posted on the County website.

The City of Hood River will host a two-day open house later this month on potential concepts for 12^th and 13^th Streets on the Heights.  As part of a community outreach process, the City is also launching a community-wide survey from approximately April 15^th to May 13^th to gather community input on the potential street concepts.  The three-week online survey is part of the alternatives phase of an 18-to-24-month effort to formalize a detailed streetscape and urban design plan in coordination with the Hood River Urban Renewal Agency.  Emphasis has been on addressing traffic, transit, bicycle and pedestrian safety, walkability, and the area’s local businesses.  The goal is to establish a comprehensive plan for the major arterials as well as the side streets and intersections along the 5-6 block area that stretches along 12^th and 13th streets between May Street and Belmont and Union Streets.  The in-person open house hours are 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. on April 22^nd and 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. April 23.

Laura Matzer is the new executive director at the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center.  Matzer started on the job three months ago, after spending ten years prior to the pandemic helping develop museums in the Middle East.  Matzer hopes the Discovery Center can be what she termed a “third place” for people to go with home and work, a place where people feel welcome and want to stay.  The Discovery Center will be hosting its 25th anniversary celebration on May 21.